PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron promised on Thursday to remain in office until the end of his term, scheduled for 2027, and announced that he will appoint a new prime minister in the coming days following the resignation of the dismissed prime minister, Michel Barnier.
PUBLICIDAD
Macron showed a fighting spirit the day after a historic vote of no confidence in the National Assembly left France without a functional government. He accused his far-right opponents of causing the fall of Barnier's government.
PUBLICIDAD
He said they decided to "not do, but undo." "They chose disorder," he stated. The president said that the far right and the far left had joined forces in what he called "an anti-republican front" and emphasized: "I will not take on the irresponsibility of others."
He stated that he would appoint a new prime minister in the coming days, but did not give any clues as to who it could be.
Previously, Macron "took note" of Barnier's resignation, said the Élysée presidential palace in a statement. Barnier and other ministers will be "in charge of ongoing matters until the appointment of a new government," the statement reads.
Why did the Prime Minister of France resign?
The vote of no confidence, approved by 331 votes in the National Assembly, forced Barnier to resign after just three months in office, the shortest term of any prime minister in modern French history.
Macron faces the critical task of appointing a replacement capable of leading a minority government in a parliament where no party has a majority. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly and member of Macron's party, urged the president to act quickly.
"I recommend that a decision be made quickly on a new prime minister," said Braun-Pivet on Thursday on the France Inter broadcaster. "There should be no political hesitation. We need a leader who can speak to everyone and work to pass a new budget bill."
The process can be challenging. Macron's government has not confirmed any names yet, although French media have spread a list of centrist candidates who could be appealing to both sides of the political spectrum.
Macron took more than two months to appoint Barnier after his party's defeat in the June legislative elections, raising concerns about potential further delays.
The opposition requested Macron's resignation.
The vote of censure mobilized opposition leaders, and some have explicitly called for Macron's resignation.
"I believe that stability requires the departure of the President of the Republic," said Manuel Bompard, leader of the far-left party France Insumisa, on BFM TV on Wednesday night.
The leader of the far-right party National Rally, Marine Le Pen, whose party holds the majority of seats in the Assembly, did not explicitly call for Macron's resignation, but warned that "the pressure on the President of the Republic will become increasingly stronger."
However, Macron has dismissed such calls and ruled out holding new legislative elections. The current French Constitution does not stipulate that a president must resign after their government has been removed by the National Assembly.
"I was elected to serve until 2027, and I will fulfill that mandate," he told journalists earlier this week.
The Constitution also establishes that new legislative elections cannot be held until at least July, creating a possible deadlock for lawmakers.